Atlantic storm Alex moves into Gulf of Mexico

WEATHER

Patrick E. Jones, Associated Press

Published 4:00 am, Monday, June 28, 2010

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Atlantic storm Alex moves into Gulf of Mexico

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Tropical Storm Alex moved into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday after weakening to a depression as it swirled across Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, dumping torrential rains that killed at least four people across the region.

Alex is expected to gain strength in coming days as it moves over warmer waters in the Gulf and possibly become a hurricane headed toward Mexico's Caribbean coast, well away from the area where BP PLC is trying to stop a massive oil leak, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

On Sunday, Alex soaked parts of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula, forcing scores of tourists to flee resort islands. Winds were 60 mph when the storm made landfall in Belize late Saturday but had decreased to 35 mph by Sunday. Later Sunday, the hurricane center said Alex returned to tropical storm strength.

The heavy rains prompted a landslide in northwestern Guatemala that dislodged a large rock outcropping, killing two men who had taken shelter from the storm underneath, according to the national disaster-response agency.

In El Salvador, Civil Protection chief Jorge Melendez said two people were swept away by rivers that jumped their banks. About 500 people were evacuated from their homes.

Authorities in Guatemala and Belize were keeping an eye on rising river levels. One bridge in western Belize was swamped, cutting off a remote Mennonite community. But Belize apparently avoided major damage, and emergency coordinator Noreen Fairweather said there were no reports of injuries. People who took refuge in storm shelters were returning home.

There were no immediate reports of damage to Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast, which includes popular beach destinations such as Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.